Child seat for mounting on a vehicle seat

ABSTRACT

A child seat ( 28 ) is described for mounting on a vehicle seat ( 10 ) which has a seat surface ( 16 ) which is inclined forward and upward in the direction of travel ( 18 ). The child seat ( 28 ) has a seat shell ( 32 ) which is arranged on a base part ( 30 ). The base part ( 30 ) has a base area ( 34, 36 ) which has a front base area section ( 34 ) and a rear base area section ( 36 ). The front and the rear base area sections ( 34  and  36 ) enclose an obtuse angle ( 38 ) with each other. A wedge element ( 40 ) bears either against the front or against the rear base area section ( 34  or  36 ), so that the wedge element ( 40 ) and the respective base area section ( 34  or  36 ) adjoining the wedge element ( 40 ) form a common level bearing surfaces ( 42 ).

The invention relates to a child seat for mounting on a vehicle seathaving a seat surface which is inclined forward and upward in thedirection of travel, the child seat having a base part and seat shellarranged on the base part.

Child seats of this type are arranged on the forwardly and upwardlyinclined seat surface of a vehicle seat either in the direction oftravel and are generally secured on the vehicle seat with the aid of thevehicle's own seat belt system, or the child seats are arranged on theparticular vehicle seat in a manner oriented counter to the direction oftravel. As a consequence of the forwardly and upwardly inclined seatsurface of the vehicle seat, the inclination of the seat shell is toosteep when the child seat is arranged in a manner oriented counter tothe direction of travel, i.e. the seating comfort for a child in thechild seat is restricted.

EP 09 491 3 A2 discloses a child seat which is provided for mounting ona vehicle seat which has a seat surface which is inclined forward andupward in the direction of travel. This known child seat has a base partand a seat shell arranged on the base part. The base part has a levelbase area. A wedge element which can be pivoted about a pivot axis isprovided on the base area of the base part. The pivot axis is providedin a central region of the base area, thus resulting in a front and arear base area section. These two base area sections enclose an extendedangle, i.e. an angle of 180°, with each other.

DE 696 07 418 T2 discloses a child seat which is provided for mountingon the vehicle seat, the vehicle seat having a seat surface which isinclined forward and upward in the direction of travel. This known childseat has a seat shell which may be combined with a base part but is notcombined at all times. The base part serves there only to raise thesitting or reclining position of the seat shell. The seat shell isdesigned on the rear side and lower side with ribs. The transitionbetween the ribs on the rear side and the lower side is of rectilineardesign and encloses an obtuse angle in each case with them; it serves asa level bearing surface when the child seat is positioned counter to thedirection of travel, as FIGS. 1 to 4 show. However, this bearing surfaceis relatively small, for which reason U-shaped bars are additionallyalso required there to support the child seat.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,561,582 B1 discloses a child seat which is provided formounting on a vehicle seat, the vehicle seat having a seat surface whichis inclined forward and upward in the direction of travel. This childseat has a seat plate and a backrest, the seat plate being designed witha level base area. A wedge element can be arranged between the levelbase area of the seat plate and the inclined seat surface of the vehicleseat, the wedge angle of which wedge element can be set as desired inorder to space the backrest of the child seat to be positioned counterto the direction of travel at a sufficient distance from the backrest ofthe vehicle seat. This known wedge element is not connected displaceablyto the base part of a child seat but rather can be set in its wedgeangle independently as it were from the child seat.

DE 90 13 833 U1 discloses a child seat with a seat shell which has alevel base area. A wedge element can be placed between the level basearea and the forwardly and upwardly inclined seat surface of a vehicleseat in order to be able to set the inclination of the child seat inrelation to the vehicle seat—in the case of an arrangement of the childseat counter to the direction of travel.

The invention is based on the object of providing a child seat of thetype mentioned at the beginning which is of simple design and has thesame seating comfort in each case not only when arranged in thedirection of travel but also when arranged counter to the direction oftravel.

According to the invention, this object is achieved in the case of achild seat of the type mentioned at the beginning in that the base parthas a base area with a front base area section and with a rear base areasection, which base area sections enclose an obtuse angle with eachother, and in that a wedge element bears either against the front or therear base area section, the wedge element and the front and rear basearea sections, which are matched to one another, being designed in sucha manner that the wedge element and the respective base area sectionadjoining the wedge element form a common level bearing surface.

The wedge element and the front and rear base area sections, which arematched to one another, are designed in such a manner that the wedgeelement and the respective base area section adjoining the wedge elementform a common level bearing surface.

The wedge element supplements the obtuse angle of the front and of therear base area sections of the base area of the base part to 180 angulardegrees, so that the wedge element and the base area element adjoiningit in each case together form a level bearing surface. This levelbearing surface results, in an advantageous manner, in an extensivebearing of the child seat on the seat surface of the vehicle seat andtherefore in a stable support of the child seat. This is of advantagefor reasons relevant to safety.

To arrange the child seat in the direction of travel, the wedge elementis provided on the rear base area section. When the child seat isarranged counter to the direction of travel, the wedge element isarranged on the front base area section of the base part. This results,with respect to the vehicle floor, in an inclination of the seat shellwhich can be of virtually the same magnitude when the child seat isarranged in the direction of travel and when the child seat is arrangedcounter to the direction of travel. This means that the seating comfortis the same when the child seat is arranged in the direction of traveland when it is arranged counter to the direction of travel.

According to the invention, the wedge element can be fastenable to thebase part. In the case of a design of this type, the wedge element is apart separated from the base part. The wedge element can therefore becombined with a plurality of child seats.

It may be expedient, however, if the wedge element is connecteddisplaceably to the base part. This makes it impossible for the wedgeelement to be lost. In the case of such a child seat of thelast-mentioned type, the wedge element may be displaceable on the basepart along a guide. Similarly, it is possible for the wedge element tobe fitted to the base part in a manner such that it can pivot about aconnecting axis.

Irrespective of whether the wedge element is displaceable on the basepart along a guide or is pivotable about a connecting axis, theadvantage arises that the wedge element can be arranged in a simplemanner either on the front base area section or on the rear base areasection of the base area of the base part in order to ensure the atleast approximately identical, comfortable, flat inclination of the seatshell in the forward orientation and in the rearward orientation of thechild seat with respect to the direction of travel.

According to the invention, the wedge element can have at least onehollow space which is accessible from the outside and forms a storagespace. This storage space may be used for utensils as are desirable orpossibly necessary for children. These utensils may be, for example,diapers or the like. The hollow space can expediently be closed in orderto securely and captively accommodate said utensils situated in thehollow space.

In the case of the child seat according to the invention, the seat shellcan be connected immovably to the base part or can be formed integrallytherewith; however, it is also possible for the seat shell to bedisplaceable to and fro on the base part between different positions.These positions are, for example, at least one sitting position and atleast one reclining position.

Further details, features and advantages emerge from the descriptionbelow of an exemplary embodiment (illustrated diagrammatically in thedrawing) of the child seat according to the invention in combinationwith a vehicle seat (likewise only indicated schematically).

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 shows, diagrammatically in a side view, a vehicle seat,

FIG. 2 shows the vehicle seat according to FIG. 1 in combination with aknown child seat which is arranged, oriented in the direction of travel,on the forwardly and upwardly inclined seat surface of the vehicle seat,

FIG. 3 shows the known child seat according to FIG. 2 which is arrangedon the vehicle seat counter to the direction of travel,

FIG. 4 shows a child seat according to the invention arranged orientedin the direction of travel on the vehicle seat,

FIG. 5 shows the child seat according to the invention from FIG. 4arranged oriented counter to the direction of travel on a vehicle seat,

FIG. 6 shows a child seat according to the invention in combination withthe associated wedge element which is fastenable to the base part of thechild seat,

FIG. 7 shows the child seat according to the invention with the wedgeelement arranged on the rear base area section of the base area of thebase part—similar to FIG. 4,

FIG. 8 shows the child seat according to the invention with the wedgeelement arranged on the front base area section of the base area of thebase part—similar to FIG. 5,

FIG. 9 shows a diagrammatic illustration of a child seat according tothe invention in combination with a wedge element which can be displacedon the base part along a guide,

FIG. 10 shows the child seat according to FIG. 9, the wedge elementbeing fixed on the rear base area section of the base area of the basepart,

FIG. 11 shows the child seat according to FIG. 9, the wedge elementbeing fixed on the front base area section of the base area of the basepart,

FIG. 12 shows a different design of the child seat according to theinvention, the wedge element being fitted to the base part in a mannersuch that it can pivot about a connecting axis,

FIG. 13 shows the child seat according to FIG. 12, the wedge elementbeing arranged on the rear base area section of the base area of thebase part—according to FIG. 4, and

FIG. 14 shows the child seat according to FIG. 12, the wedge elementbeing arranged on the front base area section of the base area of thebase part—according to FIG. 5.

FIG. 1 shows, diagrammatically in a side view, a vehicle seat 10 with aseat plate 12 and a backrest 14. The seat plate 12 has a seat surface 16which is inclined forward and upward in the direction of travel. Thedirection of travel is indicated by the arrow 18.

FIG. 2 shows the vehicle seat 10 according to FIG. 1, on the seatsurface 16 of which a known child seat 20 is arranged and is secured bymeans of a vehicle's own three-point seat belt system (not illustrated).The child seat 20 has a base part 22 and a seat shell 24 arranged on thebase part 22. The base part 22 and the seat shell 24 are designed insuch a manner that the child seat 20, which is oriented in the directionof travel, takes up a matching inclination. This inclination isindicated by the thin chain-dotted line 26. As can be seen from FIG. 3,this inclination 26 is, however, very steep if the child seat 20 isoriented on the vehicle seat 10 counter to the direction of travel 18.This has a correspondingly negative effect on the seating comfort of achild in the child seat 20.

The child seat 28 according to the invention provides a remedy for thisin a simple manner, as described below in conjunction with FIGS. 4 to14.

FIG. 4 shows—corresponding to FIG. 1—a vehicle seat 10 with a seatsurface 16 which is inclined forward and upward in the direction oftravel 18, and a child seat 28 according to the invention with a basepart 30 on which a seat shell 32 is provided. The seat shell 32 may befastened fixedly to the base part 30. The seat shell 32 may, however,also be fitted to the base part in a manner such that it can bedisplaced to and fro between different positions.

The base part 30 has a base area with a front base area section 34 andwith a rear base area section 36. The front and the rear base areasections 34 and 36 enclose an obtuse angle 38 with each other.

The child seat 28 according to the invention is combined with a wedgeelement 40 which is arranged either on the front or on the rear basearea section 34 or 36 in such a manner that the wedge element 40 and therespective base area section 34 or 36 adjoining the wedge element 40form a common level bearing surface 42 (see, for example, FIGS. 7, 8;10, 11; 13, 14). This results in a stable support of the child seat 28on the seat surface 16 of the vehicle seat 10. The securing of the childseat 28 on the vehicle seat 10 takes place with the aid of a vehicle'sown three-point seat belt system (not illustrated). A child is alsosecured in the child seat 28 at the same time with the aid of thethree-point seat belt system.

In FIG. 4, the wedge element 40 is provided on the rear base areasection 36 and the child seat 28 is oriented forward in the direction oftravel 18. By contrast, in FIG. 5, the wedge element 40 is provided onthe front base area section 34 and the child seat 28 is oriented counterto the direction of travel 18. The inclination of the child seat 28 withrespect to the floor of the vehicle, which inclination is indicated bythe chain-dotted line 26, is of at least approximately the samemagnitude when the child seat 28 is arranged in the direction of travel18 and when it is arranged counter to the direction of travel 18, as isreadily revealed by a comparison of FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 6 diagrammatically illustrates the design variant, in which thewedge element 40 is fastenable to the child seat 28. This fastenabilityis indicated by the arrow 44.

FIG. 7 illustrates the wedge 40 fastened to the rear base area section36 and FIG. 8 illustrates the wedge 40 fastened to the front base areasection 34.

In comparison to the design according to FIG. 6 with the wedge element40 fastenable to the base part 30 of the child seat 28, FIG. 9illustrates a design of the child seat 28 according to the inventionwith a wedge element 40 which can be displaced on the base part 30 ofthe child seat 28 along a guide. This is indicated by the curved arrow46. FIG. 10 illustrates the child seat 28 according to FIG. 9, the wedgeelement 40 being provided and fixed on the rear base area section 36. Bycontrast, FIG. 11 illustrates the child seat 28 according to FIG. 9, thewedge element 40 being provided and fixed on the front base area section34 of the base part 30 of the child seat 28.

FIG. 10 diagrammatically illustrates a design of the child seat 28according to the invention, with the wedge element 40 being fitted tothe base part 30 of the child seat 28 in a manner such that it can pivotabout a connecting axis 48. This pivotability is illustrated by thecurved arrow 50.

FIG. 13 illustrates the child seat 28 according to FIG. 12, with thewedge element 40 being pivoted about the connecting axis 48 to the rearbase area section 36 and bearing against the latter. FIG. 14 illustratesthe child seat 28 according to FIG. 12, with the wedge element 40 beingpivoted about the connecting axis 48 to the front base area section 34and bearing against the latter.

The wedge element 40 can be designed with at least one hollow space 52which is accessible from the outside and forms a storage space. A hollowspace 52 of this type is indicated diagrammatically in FIG. 14.

The same details are denoted in each case by the same reference numbersin FIGS. 1 to 14, and so it is unnecessary to describe all of thedetails in detail in each case in conjunction with all of the figures.

1-8. (canceled)
 9. A child seat for mounting on a vehicle seat having aseat surface which is inclined forward and upward in the direction oftravel, the child seat having a base part and a seat shell arranged onthe base part, the base part having a base area with a front base areasection and with a rear base area section, which base area sectionsenclose an obtuse angle with each other, and a wedge element bearingeither against the front or the rear base area section, the wedgeelement and the front and rear base area sections, which are matched toone another, being designed in such a manner that the wedge element andthe respective base area section adjoining the wedge element form acommon level bearing surface, characterized in that the wedge-elementcan be displaced on the base part along a guide.
 10. The child seat asclaimed in claim 9, characterized in that the wedge element has at leastone hollow space which is accessible from the outside and forms astorage space.
 11. The child seat as claimed in claim 10, characterizedin that the hollow space can be closed.
 12. The child seat as claimed inclaim 9, characterized in that the seat shell can be displaced to andfro on the base part between different positions.